The Haunted Mental Ward of New York
by Olympian814
Summary: Percy Jackson is struggling to come up with money for college. Lost with almost nothing else to do, he decides to enter a film contest. But when terror strikes and people are separated, is a trip to NY's own haunted insane asylum really worth it?
1. Chapter 1

As a Halloween special I decided to upload this story.

**SUMMARY: Percy Jackson is struggling to come up with money for college. Lost with almost nothing else to do, he decides to enter a film contest. But when terror strikes and people are separated, is a trip to NY's own haunted insane asylum really worth it?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the PJO.**

**Lights, Camera, **_**Action!**_

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_HALF-BLOOD HIGH  
><em>**TIME:**_11:17 A.M.  
><em>**PERIOD: **_LUNCH_

Percy Jackson sat at the lunch table near the far left side of Half-Blood High's cafeteria. He sat, watching the cliques shuffle about; there were the "Amazons," a group of self-confident, independent teenage girls with Hylla Valerius as 'Queen', the Hunters of Artemis, a group of girls who basically despise any human being with a Y-chromosome led by their 'lieutenant,' Thalia Grace, the five cohorts, a group of Roman geeks with Reyna Valerius and Jason Grace as praetors, the twelve tables based all off of the Greek gods, each of which had a 'counselor', and, finally, the outcasts, a group of teenagers who had no place to fit in or were socially unskilled, a place for people like Percy.

Percy sighed as he crossed out yet another idea for the upcoming film contest. _Vampires versus Werewolves? Really? How cliché is that! _

"Yo, Perce!" Percy looked up as he saw his best friend, Grover Underwood, a teenage guy who had a start of a goatee forming on his chin, along with curly, brown hair and a sort of limp in his left leg he got when he was younger, but don't let that fool you, he is still quite capable of beating you in a race towards the cafeteria on enchilada day.

"What's up, G-man?" Percy asked, acknowledging his friend as he made a move to sit next to him.

"Same old, same old. What's up with all that scratching out?" he asked as he started eating his lunch consisting of an apple and a cheese enchilada.

"Deciding what topic to use for the film contest," Percy replied, his brow creasing in frustration as he continued crossing out more useless ideas.

"Here, let me see," Percy passed Grover his journal as he took another bite of his mom's homemade cookies. "Night of the Living Dead?"

"Based off of a dream I had recently filled with zombies, gore, and epic motorcycle stunts," Percy answered dully, resting his head on his hand.

"What's a gryphon?"

"A monster hybrid that has a body of a panther with wings and a head of an eagle."

"Okay. What do you mean by 'Manhattan'?"

"You know, that abandoned mental institution up the hill," Percy mumbled into his arms as he laid his head down.

"It's been abandoned for nearly thirty years," Grover responded, his eyes flitting back and forth nervously.

"I've heard rumors about being haunted and have wanted investigate it for awhile now," Percy said, nodding his head in agreement to Grover's statement.

"B-but, can't we go to someplace like Maine? Maine is nice this time of year," Grover pleaded, even though he knew Percy's mind would be dead-set if he agreed to go there.

"I think it's the easiest to do though…no script needed really. No sets to create, no props to acquire. All's we need would be a few people up to spending a night in a supposed haunted mental institution."

Only one word seemed to register in Grover's mind: "_We?_"

"Yeah," Percy responded as he leaned back in his seat, his eyebrow quirking up with a taunting smirk forming on his face, "unless you're too _chicken_ to stay at a mental institution that's _abandoned_, as in _no one's there._"

"Me? Scared? Ha! No way," Grover lied, his chest puffing out a bit as if to make him seem tougher.

"Thought so," Percy replied, searching his backpack for the math worksheet he forgot to finish. "Now all's we need is a couple more people to sign up for a night in an abandoned institution for the criminally insane."

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_HALF-BLOOD HIGH  
><em>**TIME: **_11:36 A.M.  
><em>**PERIOD: **_ART _

Percy and Grover took a seat at the table in the far back of the art classroom as they awaited the rest of the class to show up. Pulling out his sketch book, he began to doodle mindlessly.

"I envy your artistic talent," he heard Grover say as he stopped to admire his work. "I mean, _seriously_! If I had an _eighth _of your creative skill I'd be _beyond_ happy."

"Thanks G-man," he replied. He looked over at Grover's sketch. "Uh…yours is good, too."

"Oh, shut up," Grover retorted. "You, me, and the art teacher all know I can't draw to save my life."

"Still," Percy shrugged before glancing at the sketch once more. "Actually, I think you're getting better."

The duo continued to draw in silence before the third member of their group made their presence known. The two looked up as Nico di Angelo, a guy a little on the short side with raven colored hair, similar to Percy's, and light brown colored eyes, sauntered over to their table, only pausing to wink at a couple of Aphrodite girls. Percy and Grover shared a look before simultaneously rolling their eyes.

"So," Nico drawled, his grin widening on his face, "what did I miss?"

"Just Percy figuring out what topic to do for his film contest," Grover answered, a shiver rippling down his back at the thought of even going _near _that place.

"Oh, and what, pray tell, is this idea," Nico asked, his hands holding on to the chair in front of him as he leaned over in faux curiosity.

"How would you feel like staying the night at a haunted mental ward?" Percy countered, a smirk dancing on his lips.

"Ah, the three D's: danger, death, and diligence. I'm in!" Nico replied, glee lacing his voice at the chance of going somewhere supposedly haunted.

"Okay, I can see danger and death, but what does diligence have to do with staying somewhere haunted," Grover asked, a look on his face that was most likely questioning Nico's sanity.

"It requires diligence to run away from ghosts and keep hidden," Nico retorted, his face clearly saying _'Duh! Didn't you know that?'_.

They were interrupted by a questioning, and obviously female, voice, "Can we go?" All chattering stopped as they turned to face the speaker. It was Annabeth Chase the 'counselor' of the Athena table along with her friend, Thalia Grace. Both shared a look before smirking at the expressions on the boys' faces. "You're going to the supposedly haunted mental ward; we want in."

"Sure," Percy spoke slowly, still comprehending the fact that _Annabeth_ and _Thalia_ of all people wanted to go with _them_, a bunch of social outcasts. "Not to be rude or anything, but why do you want to go?"

"Don't know, maybe to check and see if the rumors are true; if it really is haunted," Annabeth admitted, shrugging indifferently.

Percy nodded at the reason. "Okay…how about we head on up this Saturday night and stay 'til late Sunday morning?"

Everyone present nodded their heads in agreement. "Okay, it's settled. We'll meet at the old hickory tree at the crossroads near the mental institution. And remember: dress dark. I would say black but that would make it obvious that we are up to no good."

"Hey, Percy?" Annabeth asked as they started to pack up for their next class. Seeing that Percy's attention was on her, Annabeth plowed on. "Do you mind if I bring a couple more people, maybe two or three?"

"Sure," Percy agreed before grinning cheekily. "The more the merrier."

"Thanks!" she said, turning to head off to her next class. Percy sighed happily before following Annabeth's example and heading off towards his next class.

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_HALF-BLOOD HIGH  
><em>**TIME: **_12:16 P.M.  
><em>**PERIOD: **_BIOLOGY_

Percy slid into the seat next to his lab partner, Tyson Gray. Tyson was a burly kid with curly brown hair and big, blue eyes. Tyson was the kind of person that would always stand by your side and help you when you needed it. So it wasn't a surprise when Percy asked Tyson if he wanted to join the expedition and he agreed whole-heartily.

"Great!" Percy replied, overjoyed at the fact so many people were willing to join him and his stay at the abandoned mental institution. "So far it will be you, me, Nico, Grover, Annabeth, Thalia, and whoever else Annabeth is going to bring!"

"Goat Boy is going?" Tyson asked, his eyes widening. "You didn't tell me Goat Boy was going!"

Tyson and Grover had never really gotten along, so it didn't come to be a surprise when Tyson freaked out over Grover going. No one really knows why they disliked each other, but Percy had a slight suspicion that it had involved Tyson almost sitting on top of Grover.

"It's okay, big guy," Percy reassured. "You'll hardly even notice him with all the other people there."

"Brother is right," Tyson agreed. Tyson had a habit of calling Percy his brother because of the fact that Percy was like the brother he never had; you know, that older sibling that's always there to serve as a role model. "Hardly ever see Goat Boy!"

Percy grinned at Tyson's childish antics, but was cut off by a cold voice, "Glad to know you're enjoying yourselves, boys."

Percy froze, the grin sliding off his face instantaneously, only to be replaced by an apologetic one, "Sorry Mrs. Dodds, I'll try not to have it happen again."

"Detention Jackson, Gray," she spoke before turning towards the whiteboard in the front of the class. "Now class can you please describe the difference between…"

Percy zoned out, doodling in his Biology notebook. He spared a glance at the clock; _12:20. _

Percy sighed, something he's been doing a lot recently, and continued to doodle in his notebook. _Only forty minutes of class left._

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_HALF-BLOOD HIGH  
><em>**TIME: **_1:02 P.M.  
><em>**PERIOD:** _LITERATURE_

Percy panted as he tried to catch his breath. That was a _long_ run from the science lab to the literature classroom. He heard giggling off to his right and turned to look at the person. Annabeth. She smiled, "A little late aren't we, Percy?"

Percy scowled. "I wouldn't have been that if it wasn't for the long run from the science lab."

Annabeth continued to grin. "Relax, I was just kidding. And besides, Connor, Travis, and Katie agreed to join us for the trip to the abandoned mental ward."

Percy had met all three of those people. Connor and Travis Stoll were the pranksters or troublemakers of the school. Seen vandalized school property via spray paint? Most likely them. Car egged? The Stolls were near. Locker glued shut? The Stolls. Katie Gardner, on the other hand, was a complete teacher's pet and always tried to spoil the Stolls' plans. In her free time, she enjoyed hanging out at the school's green house and had a part time job as a florist.

Percy nodded his head at the choice of people. "Sure, great! So it'll be the Stolls, Katie, Thalia, Nico, Grover, Tyson, you, and me."

"Sweet," Annabeth replied smiling before turning to take notes. "Can't wait."

_Me neither_, Percy thought as he followed Annabeth's example yet again and begin to take notes. _Me neither._

* * *

><p><strong>Sooooo….Whaddaya think? Oh and it was so funny at my cousin's wedding reception this weekend. According to my other cousin who was scolding my other cousins, all of which were drunk, mind you, there are three rules that should be followed; 1) Never touch another man's belt, 2) Never touch a guy's beer, and 3) Never touch a guy's pizza. Lol it was <strong>_**hilarious!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for reviewing! And to wisegirl1313: there's a smidge of Percabeth but not a lot considering, you know, they technically just met. **

**Disclaimer: I, O814, do NOT own PJO**

**Lights, Camera, **_**Action!**_

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_JACKSON RESIDENCE  
><em>**TIME: **_5:54 P.M._

Percy cursed as he hurriedly continued to pack up his overnight bag. It seemed like such a great idea at the time to take a nap, and it would've be, too, if it wasn't for the fact that he forgot to set his alarm clock to wake him up. He quickly stuffed a couple of electric devises (you know, video cameras, night vision glasses with a built in video recorder, and walkie-talkies with a microchip in it that's able to track other walkie-talkies, those sort of things) into his bag before beginning his hunt to look for batteries.

Once that was done he slipped on his black converse and rushed down the stairs to the kitchen. His mother was already aware ahead of time because he knew for a fact that he couldn't lie to her and get away with it ("_Percy_, did you eat the last cookie?" "…no?"). He swore she had some ESP whenever he decided to take the risk and lie. Either that or she was secretly psychic and had the ability to read minds. Both seemed very likely.

Pausing only to give a slight good-bye, he continued on towards the door with a smile on his face that only grew with each step he took.

_This is gonna be awesome!_

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_STOLL RESIDENCE  
><em>**TIME: **_6:15 P.M._

Connor and Travis bustled around their joint room; Travis packing up their bags, while Connor lounged about on his bed drinking a glass of lemonade.

"Are you almost done yet?" Connor asked for the fifteenth time within the last five minutes.

Travis threw him a dirty look from his position underneath the desk looking for their secret stash of candy. "Well maybe if _someone_ helped me, we could've been done by now!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Connor retorted, waving his brother off. "Whatever."

Not even seven minutes later they were ready to go.

"Bye Mom! Bye Dad!" The two yelled simultaneously. "We'll be at Chris's house!"

Closing the door behind them, Connor whipped out his cell phone.

**To:**_** C. Rodriquez  
><strong>_**From: **_**C. Stoll**_

_Yo! You know the plan? Whatever you do, do not let it slip that we're at the AMIftCI!_

**To: **_**C. Stoll  
><strong>_**From: **_**C. Rodriquez **_

_You got it, bro! Don't worry, I won't tell a soul!_

**To:**_** C. Rodriquez  
><strong>_**From: **_**C. Stoll**_

_Right, but would you tell a Stoll?_

**To: **_**C. Stoll  
><strong>_**From: **_**C. Rodriquez**_

_No worries! I told you! I got this!_

Connor slipped his phone back into his back jean pocket.

_Worth skipping the latest episode of Pretty Little Liars? Hades yes!_

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_CHASE RESIDENCE_  
><strong>TIME:<strong> _6:00 P.M._

Annabeth sat on top of her bed as she finished going over her check list for the fourth time.

Sleeping bag? Check!

Phone? Check!

Spare change of clothes? Check!

Snacks? Check!

Water bottle? Check!

Flashlight? Check!

Everything seemed to be in order, so she placed her notebook on top of her desk. Lifting up her overnight bag she headed down the stairs and toward the kitchen. Seeing her father in the same position he was when she headed upstairs twenty minutes before hand made her roll her eyes. _Honestly! Doesn't he have anything better to do than sit around all day?_ She knew it was a mistake installing the plasma screen TV in the kitchen, if only they would've listen to her instead of brushing her to the side!

"Well, Dad, I'll be over at Thalia's!" she called from the front door as she slipped on her navy blue converse.

"Okay! I'll check in on you guys later!" she heard the reply come from her father before locking the door behind her.

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_GRACE RESIDENCE  
><em>**TIME: **_6:31 P.M._

It wasn't long before she reached Thalia's place. The Grace household was a Victorian-styled home with an elegant garden and a birdbath in the center of the lawn. She had to admit, the architecture of the home was great, even more so than her own house.

Walking up the stairs toward the porch, she rang the doorbell. It was Thalia's little brother, Jason, who answered the door. "Hey, Jason! Can you get your sister for me?"

"Sure thing, Annabeth!" he agreed before turning around and shouting up the staircase, "THALIA! GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE! IT'S ANNABETH!"

"I could've done that," Annabeth mumbled, but quiet enough that Jason couldn't hear.

It was only seconds before they heard the sound of thundering footsteps, revealing Thalia.

Thalia was decked out in a black Green Day sweatshirt, black cargo pants, and her infamous pair of combat boots. "BYE, MOM! I'LL BE AT ANNABETH'S!"

It seemed like yelling was a family trait for the Grace's. Before leaving, Thalia slipped her brother a twenty and a whispered, "You know the drill."

Jason nodded solemnly, promptly shutting the door in Thalia's face.

Of course, Annabeth was aware of this exchange, having done the same thing to her little brothers moments beforehand.

Walking down the steps, both Annabeth and Thalia couldn't help but think; _this is so worth all of the risks!_

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_DI ANGELO RESIDENCE  
><em>**TIME: **_6:37 P.M._

Nico rushed to gather the items he needed for the trip: food, water, clothes, flashlight, rope, and, most importantly, ghost hunting equipment. Yep, he, Nico di Angelo, was on a mission to catch a ghost.

Double checking that everything was in order, Nico walked out of his room to grab a bite to eat before leaving. He saw his sisters, Bianca and Hazel, along with his mother, already sitting at the kitchen table for dinner. They all mumbled some sort of greeting while Nico just nodded his head in greeting.

Dinner past in silence, with only the sound of silverware scraping across the plates as noise. After getting the clearance needed to leave from his mother, Nico sulked up the stairs to his room, giving him the pretense that he was 'bout to start his homework.

Once he reached his door, he quickly locked it, grabbed the rope out of the bag, and scaled down the side of the two-story house into the darkness.

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_UNDERWOOD RESIDENCE  
><em>**TIME:**_ 6:39 P.M._

Grover walked around aimlessly, trying to stall as much as possible. No way in Hades was he going to be the first one there or stay there longer than necessary. Exactly why did he agree to this again? Oh, yeah, that's right. _Stupid pride issues._

Grover sighed, collapsing on his bed. Is this really worth risking his sanity? Who knows? For all he knows, it could all just be a huge misunderstanding, the place could be fine; no ghosts, no lights flickering, no ominous noises.

Rolling over on his bed, Grover snuck a glance out the window. The sun had set just moments ago. The trees were swaying back and forth due to the strong winds. It looked like it was going to rain tonight, too. _Just great._

Grover heaved another sigh and sat up, grabbing his bag as he did so. With a glance at the clock, Grover walked out of his room and headed towards the front door. He left with a quick good-bye to his mother and shut the door behind him.

He didn't know what he would see or what he would find, but one thing was for certain; _I am so going to need therapy after this._

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_GRAY RESIDENCE_**  
>TIME: <strong>_6:28 P.M._

Tyson bustled around like a busy bee as he gathered up all the essential things he needed for the trip. Whistling a merry little tune, he continued to pack his spare pair of clothes and his pajamas. As soon as he was done with that, he grabbed his bag and set off to find his parents he was leaving. Before he left his room, though, he quickly fed his pet goldfish, Houdini, Triton, and Bubbles.

It was in the kitchen that he found his mom, his dad being at work. He practically skipped up to his mother to give her a hug. Letting go, he turned to head towards the door, throwing over his shoulder a "Bye Mom! I'll be with Percy!" before shutting the door behind him. _Time to go catch ghosties with Brother!_

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_GARDENER RESIDENCE  
><em>**TIME: **_6:12_

Katie sighed as she trailed up the stairs to pack her bag for tonight. Did she really want to go? No way! The only reason she sighed up for this was to try and catch the Stolls wreaking havoc throughout the night. Well, that, and to catch up with Annabeth and Thalia. It's been awhile since she last had a decent conversation that didn't end up with her having the undesirable urge to bust the two mischief-makers.

Making sure she had all essentials, she walked back down the stairs to tell her mom that she was going out for the night. Her mom was in the living room watching the _NCIS_ episode she missed on On Demand. Letting out a quick breath, Katie marched determinedly up to her mother and said, "Mom, can I go out tonight with Thalia and Annabeth and a couple other friends…uh, _please_?"

She saw her mom look at her through the corner of her eye, nodding her head in acceptance, "Sure you can go, Katie."

"Really?" Katie asked, disbelief written all over her face.

"Yeah, I don't see any reason why you can't," her mother replied looking back at the TV, for the commercial break had ended.

"Okay? Thanks Mom!" Katie called as she raced towards the front door. _Sweet!_

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_OLD HICKORY TREE NEAR THE CROSSROADS  
><em>**TIME: **_7:01 P.M._

Everybody was there waiting by the time Nico showed up.

"Finally!" Connor shouted, his hands in the air for dramatic effect. "About time you showed up!"

"Last time I checked, we were supposed to be here by seven o'clock. It's…" he trailed off, checking his pockets for his phone, "7:01."

"Let me guess," Percy stated dryly. "You wanted to be _fashionably _late, didn't you?"

Nico gasped in faux-horror. "Oh, how ever could you tell? Please, tell us your secrets!"

Percy smirked in mock overconfidence. "A psychic never reveals their secrets."

"I thought that was only for magicians," Travis said, adding his own commentary to the problem.

"Same thing," Percy shrugged indifferently.

"Not really," Annabeth stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, _what_ever," Percy mumbled before speaking up and heading towards the path to the institution. "Are you guys ready?"

Grover trembled slightly at the rhetorical question. Was he ready to face impending doom? _I am about as ready as a cow waiting to get slaughtered…Poor cow…_

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_ABANDONED MENTAL INSTITUTION FOR THE CRIMINALLY INSANE  
><em>**TIME: **_7:17 P.M._

After sloshing through the mud, listening to about a million of Connor's corny jokes, watching Grover mumble to himself with his eyes flashing towards the direction of every small noise, lots of grumbling, cursing, and complaining whenever someone tripped, they made it to the courtyard of the institution.

There were thick, burly evergreen trees surrounding the chain-link fence that was neighboring the ward. Crows were squawking in the distance, giving the place an even more sinister and eerie look. Tall, gray walls loomed over the group as they stood in the clearing, making it next-to-impossible to see.

"Flashlights," Percy instructed, inching towards the fence as he did so.

As soon as he made it to his destination, he shook the gate a little bit before starting to climb over it.

"Are you _crazy_?" Grover whispered furiously. "You're gonna fall off it and kill yourself!"

Percy just laughed. "And how long have you known me for?"

Grover just grumbled under his breath.

Once Percy reached the top he looked down at his friends who hadn't moved an inch. "Aren't you guys coming?" The Stolls were the first to move, followed by Tyson, Annabeth, and Thalia. Grover and Katie just stayed put. "Come on!"

They just shook their heads in disagreement.

"Fine," Percy shrugged from the other side. "Stay out here where the ghosts could get you."

At that precise moment the bushes rustled and a crow cawed, causing the two to nearly leap at the chance to get to the other side.

The group shuffled towards the door to the main building. It was a dark gray in color with rust forming on the edges. Percy tried the doorknob. No such luck.

"Oh, it's locked. Guess we'll have to leave," Grover stated, turning around to exit the creepy courtyard.

Thalia grabbed the collar of his shirt, yanking him back towards the herd. "Not so fast, Goat Boy."

"Goat Boy?" Annabeth questioned with an eyebrow raised.

Thalia shrugged. "Eh, it's because his laugh resembles one of goat."

Annabeth nodded her head in agreement.

"Hey!" Grover bleated. "I'm right here!"

Throughout the whole ordeal Travis and Connor got to work on the lock; Travis using a stopwatch while Connor picked the lock.

"Twenty-seven seconds!" Travis grinned in appreciation. "New record, bro!"

"Yes!" Connor shouted, fist-pumping the air.

Percy signaled the rest of the group with his free hand, since his other hand was busy recording everything, to head inside.

Walking in, the door shut with a _crack!_ Panic rose in Connor's chest as he raced towards the door. After struggling with the doorknob for a couple of minutes, his efforts were ceased, for the doorknob had fallen off, trapping them inside.

Grover gave a yelp as he, too, rushed over, banging his fists on the metal door. "We can't be locked in! We just can't! I'm too young to die!"

"Whoa! Grover calm down! Who said anything about dying?" Percy reassured, pulling him off the now useless door.

"Don't you get Percy? It's just like every horror movie ever invented! The group of stupid, idiotic group of teenagers, that's us by the way, enters the spooky haunted house only for the door to be locked! And how does the movie end? People DIE!"

Percy shook Grover's shoulders roughly. "Knock out of it Grover! _No one_ is going to die, got it?"

Grover nodded his head quickly and Percy let go of his friend. "Good. Now while we're stuck here, how about we explore a bit?"

Grover, still a little bit freaked out (understatement of the year), slowly nodded his head. He was pretty sure that if he stayed still any longer he would surely lose his sanity. _If it wasn't lost already…_

At first glance, they could tell why some people thought the place could be haunted. The place was a complete pigsty. All the windows were boarded up, unlabeled tin cans were stock piled along the walls, file folders filled with information about past patients and papers about past medical reports were dumped all around the floor, old medical equipment—microscopes, stretchers, bed trays, stethoscopes—were strewn around the place.

"Well," Percy commented after his once-over of the room was finished, "this place is a complete 10 on the Spooky-Scale."

Taking a couple tentative steps forward, the group started heading down the main corridor. It wasn't long before the complaining started.

"Geez! How long is this hallway?"

"My feet are _killing _me!"

"We're gonna _die!_"

"Where are all the ghosts?"

"You _want_ the ghosts to come _here_?"

"Has anyone noticed how cold it's gotten in here?"

Leave it to Annabeth to notice something nobody else did.

"I mean," Annabeth continued, biting her lip in deep concentration, a habit in which Percy found cute. "If what I read is true, and it almost always is, than doesn't the temperature decrease when _ghosts_ are around?"

Grover's face morphed into one of absolute terror.

"Uh, guys?" Connor asked, fear all throughout his voice as he peeked inside of a nearby room. "You might want to see this."

Curious as to what he might have found, Percy edged his way closer to the door. What he saw nearly made him want to drop his camera and run in horror. There, on the chalkboard in what could only be assumed as a classroom, were words that seem to be drawn in blood. It read:

_**DEATH IS INEVITABLE **_

Someone screamed, most likely Grover, and, even though he was still a bit frightened, Percy couldn't help but let out a small smirk. _Perfect for the movie. _

It looked like Connor was about the girlish shriek Grover let out, but was cut off by a knocking on the door opposite of them, causing all seven of them to jump in surprise and fear.

"What the _heck_ was _that!_" Thalia choked out, her eyes wide and heart pounding.

"I don't kn—" Percy started, but was cut off by Connor's phone ringing to the tune of "Ghostbusters."

His face heated up in embarrassment as he checked the text he received. His face quickly lost all traces of color and absolute terror etched its way on his face. Everyone gathered around to look at the text, each of their faces matching Connor's.

_YOU'RE NEXT!_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Ohhhh...SUSPENSE! Sooo...didya like it? Was it worth the wait? Wait! Leave it in a review?...Please?<em>**


	3. Chapter 3

**This was supposed to be up yesterday but I had to get **_**some**_** sleep in since I had to go to a math competition (My team came in third!). Also, I got a blister on my hand from raking the leaves, but I've gotten a lot of compliments on my handywork!**

**Disclaimer: I, O814, do NOT, under **_**any**_** circumstances, own PJO.**

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_ABANDONED MENTAL INSTITUTION FOR THE CRIMINALLY INSANE  
><em>**TIME: **_7:43 P.M._

"Next?" Connor questioned, disbelief lacing throughout his voice. "Okay, first of all… Next for what? Next in line to get eaten by zombies? Next to get abducted by aliens? 'Cause frankly I enjoy being in one piece and _not_ being experimented on! And, second of all, how did they even get my _number?_"

"Connor," Percy, who seemed to be the only one not freaking out (Grover was on the verge of hyperventilating), cut in. "I'm pretty sure that it's just someone's sick idea of a prank. Now, who do you know that would want to get back at you?"  
>"Well," Connor spoke slowly, "there's that one homeless person that's always standing near that one beauty parlor, that elderly lady with all those exotic coats, the doorman at nearly every hotel I've been to, the cashiers at Wal-Mart, my great-aunt Margaret, everybody that participated at that one academic bowl, you know, the one where there was that explosion in the science lab, anyway, all the members of the robotics club, al—"<p>

"Okay, Connor," Nico snapped, trying to get rid of the oncoming headache, "we get it. You're basically Public Enemy #1."

Connor cracked a grin for a second before becoming serious, a first for him, eyes narrowing, "I bet it was Mr. D."

"That one man that always wears the tiger print shirts? Why him?" Thalia asked an eyebrow quirking up. "He stays in his room most of the time and plays pinochle with Chiron."

"He's been trying to bust my brother and me for almost as long as Katie has," Connor explained. Travis nodded his head in agreement.

"Okay, whatever," Percy broke in, stopping Thalia from retorting. "We should probably continue looking now."

Once everyone agreed that they'd drop the matter of the mysterious text until this was over (well, almost everyone, Grover was still hyperventilating), the gang continued onward.

The walls were cover in a thick layer of dust that did absolutely no good to Grover's allergies, specks of grime were also scattered about the wall, along with a couple spider webs in the corners. The floorboards creaked with every step they took, making the already spooky silence even spookier. Chunks of the doors were missing, and through the holes they could see the rooms that the patients used, all ranging from a little girl's room with a few stuffed toys to a cracked lunatic's that was filled with all sorts of crazy things. All of a sudden, loud footsteps echoed across the hallway they were currently in.

"W-what w-w-was t-th-that?" Grover spluttered, pupils dilating in fear.

Panicking, Percy handed everybody a pair of cool looking shades.

"Um…Perce?" Travis spoke up after looking at the shades for a moment. "These are cool and all, but we could hardly see as it is and I don't think these are going to help."

Percy shot him a dirty look. "I know that, idiot. These glasses have a built in camera and are also night-vision enhanced. In case we get separated, I don't want to miss anything for the movie."

"Oh," Travis said, grinning sheepishly.

The footsteps continued to make their presence known. In fact, it seemed as if they were getting closer.

"Um guys?" Grover spoke, eyes turned toward the direction of the noise. "I don't mean to be a party pooper or anything, but don't you think we should run right about now?"

And run they did.

They were running past room number 66 when something unexpected happened. It was like one of those moments where if you blinked you would have missed it. One minute everything was fine, the next, Annabeth's, who was in the back of the herd, foot broke through the floorboard, causing her, as a natural reaction, to grab the person in front of her, which so happened to be Percy, by the back of their shirt, which, of course, caused Percy to go tumbling down with her. The others were oblivious to all of this. They continued to run on for what seemed like hours.

"I think we lost them," Thalia wheezed, her hands on her knees in exhaustion. "Right Annabeth? Annabeth?"

The others seemed to finally take notice of the blonde's sudden disappearance. They also seemed to notice the disappearance of another friend of theirs.

"Hey," Nico piped up. "Percy's missing, too."

Travis grinned mischievously. "Five bucks says that they're probably making out right about now."

This, of course, was quickly followed by a slap on the back of the head courtesy of Katie.

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_BASEMENT  
><em>**TIME:**_ 8:19 P.M._

Percy and Annabeth were far from what Travis had thought they were doing, what with Annabeth dragging Percy around mumbling, "It's all your fault we're stuck in this situation."

Percy looked at Annabeth dumbfounded, "_My fault?_ You're the one that fell through the floor, dragging me with you!"

Annabeth shot him a look. "You're the one that didn't warn me of the potential fall that would have occurred had I stepped there, which I did!"

"It's not my fault!"

"Yes it is!"

"No it's not!"

"Yes it is!"

"No it is _not_!

"Yes i—" Annabeth was cut off as she heard a faint scuttling sound coming from in back of her. _No! It can't be! _She turned around to face the offending noise. There, not twenty feet in front of them, was a bunch of metallic little creatures scurrying their way towards them.

"Spiders!" Annabeth screamed. "Sp-sp-ahhhh!"

Past all of Annabeth's screaming and the scampering noises the metallic spiders made, Percy heard a sound you normally hear in those paranormal movies, that moaning noise that only a ghost can make. Percy paled. Without thinking, Percy grabbed Annabeth's wrist and started to run in the opposite direction of both the spiders and the ghosts.

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_MAIN FLOOR  
><em>**TIME:**_ 8:26 P.M._

"Okay, let me get this straight…They're not here, right?"

Thalia sighed for what seemed to be the hundredth time this night. She looked at Grover irritably. _Honestly! Can't he get it through his thick skull already! _"Yes, Grover, we lost both Percy _and_ Annabeth."

"B-but…! They _can't_ be gone! Please! Say it isn't so!" Grover pleaded, tears welling up in his eyes and lip quivering.

Travis groaned from his spot on the floor. He mumbled something under his breath before speaking up. "We've been over this already…They're MIA. We know."

"B-but—" Grover started before a hand was clamped over his mouth.

"Sh," Katie whispered reassuringly. "I'm sure they're fine. Now, why don't we help Percy out and wear those night vision glasses."

Grover nodded slowly before a determined look crossed his face. "Right. Gotta help Percy. Right."

Katie smiled, resting a hand on his shoulder. "That's the spirit! Now let's roll!"

Slipping on their shades, everyone continued down the seemingly endless hallway.

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_BASEMENT  
><em>**TIME: **_8:34 P.M._

Percy and Annabeth slowed down to catch their breath. With her hands on her knees in exhaustion, Annabeth snuck a glance at Percy. She felt all color leave her face as she noticed a dark red stain forming on the corner of his shirt, the same substance dripping down towards the floor. "P-Percy…! Y-y-you're bleeding!"

His breathing seemed to stop short as he whispered "_What?_" and proceeded to search himself for any abnormal substances on him. He froze as he saw the blood on his shirt. Not just any blood, _his_ blood. Lifting the bottom of his shirt up, he continued his search looking for the wound. He felt his blood run cold as he realized _there was no wound!_

"I-I've read something like this before," he mumbled as tried wiping away the blood but with little luck. "It was about phantom pains, you know, when you remember past pains like a broken wrist or a sprained ankle, although, I don't recall the wound was supposed to bleed."

"What happened?" Annabeth whispered as she took in the never-ending flow of blood. "What caused you to have that sort of pain?"

Percy went still; the only noise in the passageway was the _drip-drop_ of the blood splattering against the hardwood flooring.

"I was climbing a tree when the branch I was standing on snapped, causing me to fall the equivalent of a fall from a second story window towards a rose bush near the base of the tree," he quickly explained, his eyes dropping to look at the ground. Annabeth felt that there was more to the story, but decided not to question further.

A silence fell between the two as they walked down the hall past old portraits and antiques. At the end of the hall there was a set of pewter doors, the light from the flashlight glinting off of them. Sharing a quick glance, they continued to approach the door. Shoulders tensed and a hand hovered near the pocketknife in his left side pocket, Percy heaved open the door.

Lights flooded what seemed to be an orchestra hall in the basement of the asylum. Rows upon rows of faded maroon colored seats filled a majority of the room. A single spotlight was fixed on the organ that was on center stage. Even without an organist, the organ belted out the notes to Bach's _Toccata and Fugue in D Minor._ The two stood transfixed as they watched the keys rose and fall as the notes were played mercilessly. As the final measure was played the lights flickered out, coating them in darkness. Percy felt Annabeth's hand slip into his and was glad that the pitch black of the room concealed his blush.

Taking a couple steps back, the two turned to look for the door using their cellphones as a guide since the flashlights were with the rest of the group. After a few moments of searching, they both seemed to come to the same conclusion: _the door had disappeared! _

The brightness of the fluorescent lights blinded them for a moment before they were able to focus back onto the stage. A gasp escaped them as yet another thing was found missing from the room. The organ seemed to have disappeared as well.

A chill went down their spines as the temperature seemed to decrease drastically. A scream built in Annabeth's throat as a ghastly figure flickered in and out of focus in front of them before they were coated in darkness once again.

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_MAIN FLOOR  
><em>**TIME: **_9:08 P.M._

The gang traveled through countless corridors on the lookout for a set of stairs that would lead them anywhere but the floor they were currently on. They finally came across an upward staircase near the end of the corridor they were currently in. Flocking toward them, the gang continued onward up the staircase and up to the third floor (there were three floors in total, not including the basement, or so the map at the front door says…).

The room seemed to be a balcony of sorts to a room somewhere below them. The gold-trimmed railing looked frayed and unstable in what little lighting they had. They moved forward until they were able to see the room beneath them. It was a series of cells that used to hold the _really_ insane people. Balls and shackles were spread out I each cell along with what seemed to be a small, white army cot in the corner of each cell.

Katie noticed something different in one of the last few cells. There seemed to be an odd colored substance, like old blood. Squinting to get a better look, she leaned forward a bit. The railing seemed to prove their earlier assumptions as part of it broke of, causing Katie to fall over the side. She let out a shriek as she felt someone grab try to reach out and grab her, but only resulting in them falling with her.

"KATIE! TRAVIS!" The by-standers all shouted as they watched the pair tumble down towards the ground a floor below where they stood on the platform.

They all let out sighs of relief when they heard an "OW!" followed by groan and a "We're okay!"

"We'll meet up with you somewhere, okay?" Thalia shouted, only continuing when she received an answer. "Make sure to keep your walkie-talkies on!"

She turned to look at the rest of the team. All that remained now was Tyson, Connor, Grover, Nico, and herself.

"Let's move," she ordered, heading towards the door on the opposite side of the room.

"Yes ma'am," Connor mumbled sarcastically under his breath before following her out of the room, Tyson, Grover, and Nico following suit.

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_SECOND FLOOR  
><em>**TIME: **_9:33 P.M._

Travis and Katie walked around the second floor quietly. Travis couldn't help but think that they were going in circles. I mean, _seriously!_ They had to have past that same faded banner (the one that was ruined so badly that you couldn't even tell what was written on it in the first place) thousands of times!

He was about to sigh gloomily once again when he noticed something a couple feet ahead of them. He couldn't help the grin that split across his face as he cried out, "Look! A door!"

Grabbing Katie's hand, Travis rushed towards the door in excitement. The door opened easily, allowing them to step inside. Travis felt dread build up inside of him as he noticed the chilly temperature and the lack of lights. He cursed himself for forgetting to bring a flashlight with him, but stopped as he noticed Katie turn on hers.

There was an unsettling feeling in the pits of their stomachs as they took in the place. It was a small room, if you could even call it that, it sort of resembled a broom closet. Once again the icy temperature made its presence known as they stood in front of the door.

"Maybe we—" Travis was stopped by the door closing shut behind him with a _click!_ The ADHD part of couldn't help but think: _déjà vu. _He tried the handle. No such luck. _Déjà vu part two. _

He noticed something move in the corner of his eye and turned to get a better look. He gave out a startled yelp and started banging the unresponsive door, all the while shouting "_Help!_"

* * *

><p><strong>LOCATION: <strong>_THIRD FLOOR  
><em>**TIME:**_9:42 P.M._

The group seemed to be walking in some sort of weird formation. Thalia and Nico were in the front, followed closely by Tyson and Grover, both of which were on separated sides of the hallway, with Connor bringing up the rear.

Connor felt a small vibration in his right side pocket and groaned inwardly. With as much stealth as a ninja, he whipped out his phone to read the incoming text.

"_**WE'RE COMING FOR YOU CONNOR!"**_

That wasn't even the worst he had gotten. Somehow someone hates his guts and desperately wants him to die a tragic death. Connor sighed, today had to be the worst day ever. First he finds out that he's failing science, a subject in which he absolutely hated, then he starts receiving these death threat messages, and finally, his brother tries to play hero and ends up falling with his damsel in distress towards the floor below them. Today was just not his day.

Connor looked up to see what was up with the rest of the gang only to realize that somewhere in his monologue they had disappeared, leaving him to wallow in self-misery. _Thanks guys, what great friends you are. _He continued forward to see if he could spot the rest of the herd in front of him. All that greeted him, though, was layers upon layers of dust. Well, that, along with many dead ends and spiders.

He started to curse his brother for ditching him to be with Katie. I mean, sure, she was tumbling towards the ground certain to break at least one bone, but _seriously!_ Couldn't he help a brother out by staying with him. Now he was lost and alone with no food and no water. _Great, just great._

Connor was broken out of his reverie by a cold, rough hand being placed on top of his shoulder. His eyes trailed up the hand to its owner. Fear flooded his senses as every thought left his mind except for one: _Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my freaking god!_

* * *

><p><strong>Are Percy and Annabeth okay? What was that ghastly figure?<strong>

**What about Travis and Katie? What caused Travis to nearly have a panic attack?**

**And last, but certainly not least, is Connor doing fine? Who is the owner of the mysterious hand?**

**Wh—wait… why am I asking **_**you **_**these questions, I'm the author! I already know the answers!**

**But feel free to leave your guesses in a review...**_**please?**_** Connor's life depends on it...**_**or does it…**_**Just kidding! …**_**Or am I? **_

_**REVIEW!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**HAPPY BELATED NEW YEAR! Whooop! 2012!**

**Sorry this is late but I've been **_**really**_** busy lately, what with school, sports, extra-curricular activities, sudden inspiration for new story ideas, and other events that I'm too lazy to write about. **

**DISCLAIMER: I, O814, do **_**not**_** under **_**any circumstances**_** own PJO, nor any other thing that's recognizable.**

**Lights! Camera! **_**Action!**_

**LOCATION: **_GRACE RESIDENCE  
><em>**TIME: **_9:43 P.M._

It was the traditional Family Game Night that occurred every Saturday night in the Grace household. In this tradition, the person of the week, this week it was Jason (They rotated turns every week. For example, last week it was Thalia's turn) would make up a list of all the games they would play and what they would have for dinner. Jason chose to have Chinese food delivered to their house while they were playing sidesplitting series of rounds of Apples to Apples.

"Okay," Mrs. Grace spoke up. "This round's topic is…_disastrous." _

Mr. Grace and Jason looked at their hands for a moment before both of them decided on a card. Seeing that they were done, Mrs. Grace picked the two cards up and quickly shuffled them, having witnessed the two placing the cards down. "Hmmm…_Barney _and…_My love life."_

Mr. Grace and Jason stared each other down as they awaited the verdict. They were interrupted, however, when the phone started blaring throughout the household. Mr. Grace placed his cards in his pocket, having learned his lesson from the last time he left his cards on the table ("Cheater! He cheated! Unfair! I demand a do-over!" "Zeus, it's just a game." "No it's not!"), and quickly walked over to the portable phone on the kitchen counter.

He glanced worriedly at the caller id before answering it. "Is everything okay? Is someone hurt? Is Thalia hurt?"

The voice on the other end-Mr. Chase's-responded before he could ask any more questions. "Yes, yes, everything's fine. Everybody's fine. Thal-wait…why would _Thalia_ be over _here? _Annabeth went over there to have a sleepover with Thalia at _your_ house."

Jason's eyes grew wide as he finally realized who his father was speaking with. _Busted_. He figured he'd have at least five seconds to make an escape before his father noticed him. _Five…_He quietly sat up from his chair. _Four…_Quickly, he jogged slowly towards the door. _Three…_He snuck a glance back at his dad. _Two…_He turned back around and nearly collided with the wall. _One…_Victory! Sweet vict—a hand shot out and grabbed his elbow, preventing him from leaving the room. Realization struck him instantly. _Ανάθεμα σας, φορητό τηλέφωνο!_

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about the whereabouts of your sister,"-a voice over the phone interrupted his dad, yelling out "And Annabeth!"- "do you?"

Gulping down his fear, he felt his face slip into an impassive mask before he quickly replied, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Zeus's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized his son. "He's lying."

Panicking, Jason looked left and right for an escape route. _If I act quickly, I should be able to make it to Leo's house in time!_

Taking his chances, he placed all of his weight on top of his dad's foot, causing him to yelp out in pain and release his hold on Jason. As soon as he was free, he bolted out of the living room and raced towards the garage, his dad tripping and cursing behind him. He fumbled with the door knob a bit before he finally managed to open it. Without further hesitation, he rushed over towards his midnight blue Schwinn. Due to his delay with the doorknob, though, he barely had enough time to unlock the garage door and strap on his helmet ("Safety first!") as his dad barreled into the room in pursuit of him.

Fear engulfed him as he quickly started pedaling away from his anger-driven-overprotective dad, said dad bellowing out after him, "_JASON!"_

It's safe to say he didn't stop once in the fifteen mile bike ride towards Leo's house.

**LOCATION: **_THIRD FLOOR_**  
>TIME: <strong>_9:45 P.M._

"Okay, here's the game plan," Thalia spoke, determination all throughout her voice. "Grover, Tyson! You two are in charge of carrying all the supplies and making sure we don't lose anything, am I clear?" The two confirmed their agreement. "Nico! You're my second in command! Any ghastly looking figures come near us; you're in charge of removal. Clear?" He nodded his head, a weird glint in his eyes. "Connor! You are in charge of—" She looked around for the mischief-maker. "Connor? Cut it out, Connor, we don't have time for this!"

They started to retrace their steps, trying to find the lone Stoll, only to fail epically when they realized they had past the same gruesome drawing on the name chart of a door. Apparently the room belonged to a _Nancy B., _a _Kampê, _and a _Kelli._

Grover's lower lip started to tremble before he started to wail, "Not another one!"

He felt a large hand being placed on his shoulder, causing him to tremble even more. Tyson. "It's okay, Goat Boy. We'll protect you _and_ we'll fine Brother!"

"But what about Annabeth, Connor, Travis, and Katie? Are we going to find them?"

"We'll find them too!" Thalia and Nico spoke up, reassuringly.

"Yeah!" Grover exclaimed, a slightly crazed look in his eyes. He started to walk ahead. "We'll find them! Let's go!"

"Um…Grover?" Thalia questioned, eyebrows raised and a smirk on her face.

"Yeah?"

"You do know you're walking in the wrong direction, right?"

"Of course I know that! I was just…looking for my contact lens…that fell…"

"Grover?"

"Hmm?"

"You have a perfect 20-20 vision."

"…Your point?"

**LOCATION: **_BASEMENT  
><em>**TIME:**___9: 47 P.M._

It didn't take long for the impulsive side of Percy kicked in to overdrive. He reached out to grab Annabeth in one hand, his video camera in the other, recording the whole thing. He raced towards the opposite side of what obviously was a room used for musical therapy and stopped only to attempt to open the door. Attempt being the key word. After struggling for a moment, he passed the video camera to Annabeth and proceeded to nearly kick the door down.

Once they were out, they rushed past several cluttered rooms and up a stair case towards the lunch room of the building. It was rather large, filled with tables that still had half eaten food on top of it ("Eeewww! That's just nasty!" "I swear I just saw that…thing…move!") and chairs where the guards or doctors most likely sat to watch them were placed strategically throughout the room.

"Hey, look," Annabeth said, pointing towards something on the wall. Percy squinted to get a better look. It looked like a map of sorts.

"Do you think it's a map of this place?" Percy questioned curiously, only to be met with a look from Annabeth that clearly spelt out 'No freaking duh.' "Right. Stupid question. Carry on."

They walked closer towards the dust covered map on the other side of the cafeteria. Numerous colors, like red, blue, yellow, and green, made up the map, dividing it into several sections, like how the maps at the mall look, a couple of colors showing the different floors. According to the map, they were on the main floor, the same floor they were on when they had crashed through the floor and into the basement.

"Okay," Annabeth said, gray eyes narrowed in concentration. "Since, knowing the rest of them, they didn't notice us right away; they should most likely be on either the second or third floor."

"How do we know that they're not in the basement like we were?"

"We practically ran through most of the basement and I didn't see a glimpse of anyone, or any_thing_, for that matter."

"Fair point."

**LOCATION: **_THIRD FLOOR  
><em>**TIME:**_ 9:49 P.M._

_ "Seventy-five bottles of root beer on the wall, seventy-five bottles of root beer! Take one down, pass it aro—"_

Nico was cut off from continuing his version of the "Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer" when Thalia, fed up with his off-key singing, 'accidently' pushed him into the ground. He quickly got up, grumbling under his breath and giving Thalia the evil eye.

"Jeez," he murmured, brushing specks of dirt off his clothes. "A simple 'Quit it!' or 'Shut up!' would've been fine."

A smirk worked its way up Thalia's face. "Too predictable."

"…still…"

"Um, guys?" Grover spoke up nervously, eyes darting every direction. "Does anyone else feel the hallway vibrating, or is it just me? Please tell me it's just me."

They seemed to finally take notice of the obvious vibrations coming from above. Out of habit, Thalia looked upwards towards the ceiling. She felt a gasp threatening to escape as she realized what was happening. The roof was starting to cave in.

"Look out!" Nico shouted, tackling Thalia to the ground, preventing her from being flattened into a pancake. Unfortunately, the now-crumbled ceiling separated them from Tyson and Grover.

Thalia couldn't help but groan as she felt a fierce pounding in her head from where here skull hit the tiled-floor. As she attempted to sit up, a quiet hiss escaped her mouth as she felt her wrist give out under her weight.

She felt Nico watch her as she lay back down to assess the injury. Having broken a wrist before, she compared the pain of a broken wrist to what she was feeling now. _It's most likely sprained. _

"You okay?" Nico questioned, watching her wince slightly.

"You mean besides the throbbing headache and sprained wrist?" At his nod she continued. "Then I'm about as well as someone who nearly saw the light can be."

Nico let out a sigh of relief. _At least she was hurt _too _badly._

"What about you?"

He snuck a glance at his disfigured pinkie. "I think I broke my pinkie, but other than that, I'm fine."

A muffled voice was heard from the other side of what used to be the ceiling. "Glad to know you care about us over here!"

"Stupid," Thalia mumbled to herself. "It was so quiet, how could you not notice that Grover was missing?"

"—but that's okay, really. I mean, I'm used to the constant neglecting—"

"Grover."

"—the loneliness—"

"Grover!"

"—the lack of confidence—"

"GROVER!"

On the other side of the debris, Grover winced, covering his ears at the volume of the shouts, even if they were slightly muffled. "No need to yell."

"Well, maybe if you _stopped talking_—"

"Well, maybe if you _weren't so love struck—"_

Nico, finally cracking underneath all of the pressure, shouted, "Oh would all of you just _SHUT UP!"_

All arguing ceased for a minute before both shouted, "NEVER!" and continued to bicker back and forth.

Nico sighed and dropped his head into his hands. _This is going to be a long night._

**LOCATION: **_SECOND FLOOR  
><em>**TIME: **_9:54 P.M._

Travis continued to bang restlessly on the door, hope slowly diminishing after all of his cries for help went unanswered. He winced as his knuckles started to bleed from the constant scrapping against the stubborn door. _Why won't it open already? _

He felt his ears twitch as he heard a noise nearby. As realization hit him, he froze. Someone was right outside the door. He felt new strength build up inside him as he continued to knock, albeit more persistently this time. "Help!"

He heard whoever it was quicken their pace outside as they rushed to hopefully free both Katie and him. Speaking of Katie, she's been awfully quiet throughout this whole ordeal. He snuck a glance at her through the corner of his eye. She was staring at what could only be described as a ghost. Her jaw was dropped and her body was so tense and still that the ADHD part of Travis couldn't help but compare her to a tree. _Snap out of it, Stoll! _He mentally berated himself.

He felt the door knob jiggle within his clenched fist. He was at first confused at the fact that the doorknob was moving on its own free will before he realized that someone was trying to open the door from the other side. Letting go of the doorknob, he turned to grab Katie's hand. As soon as the door opened he shut out so fast that he was sure that somewhere a record had to have been broken. Not even stopping to thank his savior, he turned, slammed the door shut and ran to a nearby room. He reemerged seconds later with a dusty looking, old fold-up chair. Ignoring all the looks he was receiving from everyone around him, he placed the chair underneath the doorknob, efficiently stopping all those who wished to exit the closet.

He couldn't help but let his shoulders slump in relief as he slid down the wall and laid his head in his hands. They were safe, safe from whatever it was inside of the closet. They, along with the help of another, had managed to escape.

He was knocked out of his state of relief, however, when a voice questioned from above him, "Travis? Katie?"

He felt his head whip up quickly as he turned to face the speaker. "Percy? And…Annabeth? What are you doing here?"

"Well," Annabeth spoke up from beside Percy, "we were on the main floor looking at a map of the asylum in the cafeteria, when we decided to look for the rest of you guys. It was by accident that we happened to stumble upon you two. That reminds me, what was it that had you two so freaked out?"

Travis felt his face drain of all color, just the sheer thought of the ghoul made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, what with its beady little eyes that looked straight into your soul and seemed to uncover your deepest, darkest fears. Travis wasn't so sure about Katie, but he liked his fears kept under lock and key in some place far, far away from him.

Noticing that Annabeth was getting frustrated with the lack of response to Percy's question, Travis quickly gave them the censored version: "Circles…door…locked…ghost…eyes…!"

Percy's facial expression shifted into one of deep thought and confusion as he pondered what Travis had said. Annabeth, on the other hand, seemed to understand almost immediately. "So you were walking in circles and were about to give up and go back when you saw a door, and when you walked into the room, the door locked behind you. Since you were distracted, the ghost was able to sneak up on you with its all-knowing eyes, right? Is that what you were trying to say?"

Travis nodded weakly.

Percy gave a low whistle. "Dang, you're good."

Though it was hard to see in the darkness, Travis could have sworn that he saw a pleased smile on Annabeth's face. _Percy and Annabeth sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G—!_

**LOCATION: **_GRACE RESIDENCE  
><em>**TIME: **_10:04 P.M._

Zeus paced back-and-forth angrily in front of the main door as he waited for Fredrick to arrive. _How dare she! Lying to her own father about her whereabouts and bribing her brother to keep them! How absurd! How childish! I swear when she gets back I'll—!_

He was knocked out of his reveriewhen a sharp knock sounded at the door. He opened the door to reveal Fredrick Chase decked in his pajamas, a clear sign of a stressed out parent. He wasn't so worried he probably would have changed his clothes. It didn't really matter seeing as he was in his pajamas as well, and he was the host!

"Come on in, Fredrick; would you like something to drink, such as a glass of soda or perhaps some hot chocolate?" Mrs. Grace asked from somewhere in the kitchen. It was hard to tell, what with all the pots and pans cluttering up the countertops. Zeus let out a silent chuckle; she always was a stress baker.

Fredrick forced out a small smile, but declined nonetheless.

"Now, let's cut to the chase," Zeus let out a little snort before continuing. "Sorry, bad pun. Anyway, since Jason's gone and he was our last person of interest, we're going to have to scope out Thalia's room for clues."

Zeus turned towards the staircase to the right of him, Fredrick right behind him, and started walking in the direction of Thalia's room. He stopped at the third door to the left. It was painted pitch black with several splatters of neon colored paint here and there. There was no hot pink. Thalia _despised_ pink.

The room was painted similarly to the design of the door. Each wall was painted black with a different color of neon paint splatters (For example, the wall to the west had neon green splatters while the room to the north had neon blue splatters). There was a queen-sized bed in front of the wall with the window, allowing the moon light to shine on the bed before Zeus turned the light on in the room.

Now that they could see better, Zeus turned to Fredrick who was standing awkwardly in front of the doorway. Before he could speak, Fredrick interrupted him, "Are you sure we should do this? I mean, don't get me wrong, I want to find my daughter as much as you want to find yours, but isn't this an invasion of privacy?"

Zeus frowned. "I wouldn't call it an 'invasion of privacy'; instead, I'd call it…uh… 'overprotectiveness.' Yeah…that. Now, start looking for anything remotely clue-like."

Zeus started looking around Thalia's desk, thinking that if she were to forget something it would be close by. He was right. There, near the trashcan, was something small, black, and with a keyboard. Picking it up off the floor, Zeus couldn't help but grin. _Looks like _somebody_ forgot there cell phone. _

"I got something," he informed Fredrick, who was checking the floor for anything suspicious. When hearing that Zeus found something, he immediately rushed right over. Zeus was looking through the texts that Thalia had received from Annabeth within the last twenty-four hours. "_Algebra homework-confusing…Did u start the science project yet?..."_

This went on for several more minutes until an evil grin etched its way up Zeus's face.

"_Remember to pack lightly for the asylum tomorrow_..."

"Bingo."

**Questions? Comments? Concerns?**

**So…**

**- Jason gets busted for his help in Thalia and Annabeth's plan**

**- Tyson and Grover are separated from Thalia and Nico**

**- Travis and Katie are saved by Percy and Annabeth**

**And, last, but certainly not least…**

**- Mr. Chase (Fredrick) and Mr. Grace (Zeus) go all 'protective dad' **

**See ya!**

**~O814**


End file.
